Episode 17
#7 Illegal Gate (3)
Thud. The bastard's body collapsed forward.
"Electric attacks really are the best for knocking people out," I muttered as I struggled to push his heavy body deeper into the gate. Rai suddenly spoke up.
—I can’t believe I trusted your words so easily.
"That just shows how pathetic his mental resistance was. There actually have been people stealing mana stones from here before."
To dare touch what belongs to Seolrokjin... He must not know how terrifying they are to make such a mistake.
"People tend to act rashly when they have something to hide."
Lying required skill too. By shaking his weak point, he had no room left to doubt me.
After dragging the body inside, I set down the bag from my back. A normal miner would pull out a pickaxe here, but what I retrieved was different.
—You planning to kill everyone here?
"They’d all be dead anyway even without me."
Once Seolrokjin discovered the embezzlement, they’d make everyone here pay with their lives.
The belt pouch allowed me to calmly refill my potions—my second life that needed careful maintenance. What I held now was a sharp dagger about a handspan long.
Despite appearances, it was forged from monster bone and wouldn’t chip under normal impacts. Cost me 30 million won for this single blade.
The first mission for my 30-million-won dagger: stabbing the throat of the bastard right before me.
Schlick! The sharp blade pierced flesh and severed his carotid artery. Splurt! Blood sprayed across my face. I wiped it off with the back of my hand.
Hot...
My first kill since returning to this life.
Doesn’t bother me at all.
Hah, of course not.
—Your hand.
At Rai’s words, I noticed my trembling hand.
“Tch.”
Done this countless times, yet still...
The unpleasant sensation of steel slicing through flesh lingered at my fingertips no matter how much I muttered to myself.
Some sensations you never get used to. Been a while since I dirtied my hands like this too.
The shaking soon stopped. My soul’s been worn down enough already. I wiped the bastard’s blood on my pants with quick strokes.
Time to focus now.
The ones ahead wouldn’t be as easy as this guy.
This gate’s terrain was all stone mountains. No risk of getting drenched in sweat like my previous worksites, but that also meant few natural covers.
In these barren rocklands without trees or grass, my position would be glaringly obvious.
The enemies were at least C-rank hunters. Charging head-on would be suicide.
I pulled a pre-prepared cloak from my backpack and draped it over my clothes. The moment it settled, its fabric began blending with the surroundings.
—Oh, this is...
“Made from a chameleon lizard’s hide.”
Even mid-tier monster materials could create decent camouflage cloaks. If there’s nowhere to hide, become the background yourself. It’d be noticeable up close, but nobody scrutinizes entire landscapes.
I’d spent most of my savings on this three-use disposable cloak. Still better than entering this hornet’s nest unprotected.
Next came a plain white mask with a smiling face, hastily bought from a stationery store. Flimsy, but it wasn’t meant for defense anyway.
—What’s that now?
“Can’t exactly slaughter everyone here.”
—You said you’d kill them all earlier.
“Only the guilty ones working here. The forced laborers don’t deserve death.”
Being stupid enough to get tricked here was a sin, but not one worth dying for in this hellhole.
Fully concealed, I followed ground traces deeper in.
Each step sharpened memories I’d erased—no, tried to erase.
In my past life, I’d come here lured by promises of greater wealth. That guard’s slimy grin at the gate entrance had unsettled me even then, but I’d been too excited to care.
I’d truly believed I could survive this illegal gate.
How pathetically naive.
The mining site soon appeared. At the clang of pickaxes striking stone, I flattened against a ridge and raised binoculars.
—This is... a literal hell.
While mana stones embedded in soft earth had higher purity, rocky deposits like these meant worse working conditions.
The shirtless men below, breaking rocks under overseers’ glares, looked exactly like the hellscape Rai described.
—Even slaves aren’t treated this badly.
“Worse than slaves. At least slaves get reused. These are disposable workers—worked to death then discarded.”
—Disposable?
“Can’t have them blabbing if they leave.”
They were never meant to survive.
No plans to cure their mana poisoning either—just grind them down till they drop.
‘First, deal with the overseers.’
After planting a sound-triggered trap behind the ridge, I slid down the slope.
Hidden behind a boulder, I pressed the button. A voice echoed from my device:
[P-please help!]
A girl’s voice—impossible here.
“What the hell’s that?”
The overseer reacted instantly. A child’s voice rather than an adult’s—people make rash decisions when caught off-guard.
Instead of radioing colleagues, he charged up the slope.
I shifted position, staying blindspot.
“The fuck?”
The overseer grimaced upon realizing the sound came from a cheap speaker. His mouth opened to shout a warning—
Too late. My dagger was already buried in his throat.
“Ghk!”
Clutching his neck, he collapsed. Severed carotid and vocal cords ensured silent death.
Even skilled hunters struggle against ambushes.
Easy prey for anyone below 6-star.
After hiding the body, I caught my breath.
—Two down.
The scattered mining sites meant distant patrols. If I kept hiding bodies properly, I could pick them off.
Had to.
“Hey! You find anything?”
A voice from beyond the ridge made me flatten instantly.
Unplanned variable.
The man hadn’t spotted me behind the boulder, but noticed the bloodstains.
“What the—!”
As he reached for his radio, I lunged.
Thud-thud-thud—my desperate sprint still too slow. He reacted instantly.
Thunk! My dagger embedded in his forearm.
Problem: not a killing blow.
He threw the blade aside, mana flaring.
Blue pupils glowed—physical enhancement type. Muscles bulged visibly.
‘Shit. Wrong target.’
My academy-hiatus-softened body couldn’t match his reinforced physique.
He flipped me onto stone floor. Agony exploded through my back.
Snatching his radio mid-tumble, I hurled it away.
Good. No reinforcements.
“Who sent you?”
I spat blood.
“You think I’ll answer politely?”
—Not the time for quips.
Rai was right—I couldn’t win head-on.
But I never planned to.
Potion in hand, I taunted:
“Body enhancers always overtrust their durability.”
My childhood friend Jeong Hosan had been A-rank potential. How many times had I fought him to improve?
Even reinforced bodies have weak points.
Especially low-tier ones like this.
Smashing a smoke potion, I vanished.
He charged through the haze—exactly what I wanted.
Next potion: acidic.
“Aaaagh!”
Red viper venom—stronger than hydrochloric acid—meltered his face.
My fingers jabbed his eyeballs. Squelch.
“Can’t reinforce everything.”
“Fucking brat!!”
His throw sent me crashing into rocks.
“Fuck!”
My recently healed ribs snapped again.
As he crawled blindly, wailing, I electrocuted him.
—Brutal.
“But thorough.”
Academy instructors had called my methods cruel. Only the strong afford mercy—I survive by any means.
Every inch of my body screamed.
“Ugh.”
Even with rapid regeneration, this battering would break me soon.
Just finish here. Rest later.
The shattered mask in my hand drew a sigh. No spares.
Then—the prickle of watching eyes.
